PREVIEW: Lakers (41-37) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (33-44)

PORTLAND - At a time when they remain in dire need of a win to salvage their fledgling playoff fortunes, the Lakers couldn't have traveled to a worse area.

The Lakers may be playing the non-descript Portland Trail Blazers (33-44), a team that's far from playoff contention. But the Lakers have gone 4-17 here since 2002. The Lakers have also yet to sweep a back-to-back series at all this season.

No pressure in ending that streak, other than it's needed if the Lakers (41-37) want to maintain a half-game lead over the Utah Jazz (41-38) for the Western Conference's eighth playoff spot with four games remaining.

Can the Lakers pull it off?

"It's a good time to start," Kobe Bryant said with a smile.

The Lakers will have to do that without Steve Nash, who will miss his fifth consecutive game because of soreness in his right hamstring and right hip. The Lakers will also have to find a way to muster up enough energy after playing in a nail-biting win the previous night against New Orleans. Oh, and there's also the contentious Rose Garden crowd that always seems to give the Lakers fits.

The Lakers last lost here on Halloween that symbolizes how this underachieving season has become full circle.

In only the second game of the season, Mike Brown pleaded patience regarding the Princeton offense. That same night, Nash fractured his left leg and expressed optimism he'd return quickly. He missed the next 24 games, an absence that delayed the Lakers' progression in learning Mike D'Antoni's pick-and-roll heavy system.

The Lakers have yet to address any issues consistently. Hence, why they're currently fighting for a playoff spot.